The largely forgotten Cold Food Festival, known in Mandarin as hanshi jie, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 105th day after the winter solstice. In 2025, this falls on April 4.
The festival began around the 7th century BC and was widely observed through the eating of cold food and avoidance of the use of fire. The tradition had faded by the Tang dynasty (AD618-907), when it was consolidated into the more well-known Ching Ming Festival.
As a result, not many in China observe the Cold Food Festival today, although it is still recognised in name.
The Cold Food Festival occurs just before the Ching Ming Festival, or “tomb sweeping” day, which falls on the 15th day after the spring equinox.
The Ching Ming Festival, a public holiday in Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau and Taiwan and celebrated by Chinese communities everywhere, is marked by the cleaning of ancestral tombs and the burning of incense and paper goods. The practice of eating cold food has carried over to the observance of Ching Ming.